On January 14, 2003, I lost someone very dear to my heart. That special someone was my sweet Heidi…….Heidi was very special to me and I loved her dearly………This is her story……….
Before I met Heidi she lived a life of pain and neglect….She was taken out of a puppy mill, a place where a dogs purpose is to have puppies.
Heidi was saved though thanks to the efforts of a Collie rescue in Atlanta, Georgia…..Connie Delinski, she is the owner of the rescue, took Heidi into her home along with other Collies from the mill. All of the Collies were cleaned up, spayed and neutered, and loved.
About a month after the coming into the rescue Heidi was doing great.
When I found her picture on the rescue’s website,,,I fell in love with her. There was something about her, she seemed to be begging for me to come get her and bring her home………I had been looking at two other Collies at other rescue’s, but Heidi was the one I was looking for.
She was perfect.
I e-mailed Connie and asked her if I could bring Heidi home. After about three weeks of communicating back and forth through E-mails, I got a very special E-mail. It read….When would you like to come get your Collie….I was very happy. I arranged to go get her two weeks later………
It was a seven hour drive from my house in Saucier, Mississippi to Connie’s home in Atlanta Georgia. It was worth it though. I carried a picture of Heidi with me on the trip…….I think I stared at it the whole way there. I was soooo excited. When we finally arrived I was relieved. Time to meet my little girl. Connie was out of town at the time, I was not going to meet her. But Heidi was right across the street at her foster moms home. When we arrived I went up and knocked on the door.
Jane, Her foster mom, let us in and went to get Heidi. When she brought her out, I was speechless. There she was, even prettier than her picture. I did not know what to say. She did not wag her tail, she did not even look up at first. She was a little scared. I got down on the floor and talked to her. She came closer and there was a sparkle in her eye. She understood. I was there to protect her and give her a forever home. After spending a little time with her we went to our hotel for the night. We would go pick her up in the morning and take her home.
When we went back in the morning to get her, she was wagging her tail….She knew what was happening. She was going home…….She jumped into the truck with out any hesitation.
It was a long trip home but she enjoyed it…….
When we got her to her new forever home her tail was wagging non-stop…..I laughed as we took her out of the truck…She got a little scared when my other Collies came running up to greet her. She did not want to play just yet. She ignored them and we went in the house. She was a little nervous about everything but no big deal. I knew she would be, the poor girl had been moved around so much. But no more moving for her now. This was it. She was my girl now, and I loved her.
A few days after I got her home I decided to bathe her. She was a little on the dirty side. It was raining on the trip home so she got a little stinky. so a bath was amust……But she had other ideas…She obviously did not like being bathed……When we got finished, she looked like a princess….but I on the other hand looked like I went swimming in a swamp……I was covered in dirt, grass, dog hair, soap. You name it, I had it on me. My grandparents laughed at me.
As the weeks went by Heidi settled right into her new surroundings. She started playing with the other dogs. She even gave me kisses..I cried when she kissed me on the face for the first time. I knew at that point that she really liked her new home and family. She told me with that kiss. I taught her how to roll over and play dead. She loved that game. We played hide and seek. She did all the hiding. I just stood there and watch where she went. Then I went and got her…….I know that was cheating but it was fun…..lol…..
I took her and my other four Collies for walks every Tuesday afternoon, RAIN OR SHINE….I did not mind if it was raining, the dogs loved it.
Heidi loved her playmates……Mysti and Sassi—Sable female littermates…………Kacey—sable male……….Zipper—blue merle male.
And in November of 2002, I added a Whippet puppy to my family. Heidi loved her alot. They liked to sleep together and
play with one another in the house.
Heidi truly was a blessing to my family. She brought joy to my heart every time I saw her. She would always wait at the gate for me to come home from work. But on the afternoon of January 14, 2003……I came home and she was not waiting for me. Something was wrong….Where was she. This was not like her.. I went in the house and my grandad told me that she was sick…..My heart skipped a beat. I just stood there. I ran to the phone and called the vet. He said she was not doing very good. I said I wanted to come see her and he said ok. I grabbed my grandad’s wallet and handed him his keys. LETS GO, I told him……I gotta see my girl………We hurried to the vet. The vet took us in the back to see her.
I cried when I saw her. She was laying on the floor with an IV hook up next to her. She did not even realize I was there. I sat next her and talked to her. I was so scared. I wanted to stay with her longer but the vet had to do surgery on her to try and find out what was wrong.
So we had to leave…..
Later that evening at home the phone rang. My grandpa answered it. It was the vet. He told my grandpa that Heidi had passed away. My heart shattered. I could not believe it. My sweet girl was gone. I cried all night. I did not even sleep…..The next morning I called Connie to give her the news…She was heartbroken as well. After I talked to Connie for a while, it was time to get get Heidi and bury her.
We arrived at the vet and I went in. Michelle, one of the vet techs and a good friend of mine was there. She told me she would bring Heidi to the van for us. When I saw her brining Heidi out of the clinic…..I started crying again. It was hard, she was my girl, and now she was gone.
Michelle hugged me and told me that she gave Heidi a kiss for me right before she died. I thanked her……
We buried Heidi at my neighbor’s house next to her pond. Heidi loved to play with the ducks around there and she loved playing at my neighbors so i thought that was the right thing to do……..
To my dear Heidi………..Sweetheart, I miss you dearly and I will always love you. You are still with me in my heart. I will cherish the memories of the good times we shared. I know you will to. You are waiting for me at the bridge. I will see you there one day. Until then….remember
mommy loves you.
Connie……..thanks again for letting me adopt Heidi. She changed my life. I love you as much as I loved her….
Love,
| Heidi |
| Christina Becker |